1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat for spillwater raft rides or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional spillwater raft rides, like those used in amusement parks and by showmen at fairs, festivals, or the like, as a rule have a path in which the boat, which can be occupied by several persons, floats in a canal that carries water. Spillwater raft rides are also known in which the boat, equipped with wheels, is lifted out of the water by an elevator, for example, and raised to a certain height from which it slides down a straight slope in order to make the ride more attractive. In the past, only slopes that had a straight path as seen in a plan view were used.
Although spillwater raft rides with such slopes enjoy a certain popularity, there is nevertheless the need, and not exclusively for reasons related to competition, to increase the attractiveness of these spillwater raft rides even further, for example by incorporating partial stretches that resemble roller coasters. The wheels on roller coaster cars normally have a plurality of axles which are movable in space relative to one another. The upper parts of the vehicles rest on these axles together with the passenger seats. Wheel guards are mounted on the corresponding axles to which different types of wheels are attached. These different types include wheels that accept the vertical forces acting on the vehicle and run on top of the rails, lateral guide wheels that determine the direction of the vehicle and run on the sides of the rails, and safety wheels or runners that abut the rails from below and prevent the vehicles from derailing when lifting forces act in certain sections of the line. It is noted that the rail cross section of a roller coaster remains constant over the entire length of the line. The wheels are set so that they guide the vehicle as closely as possible to the rails.
It is desirable to provide a boat that can also travel on sections of a path that have three-dimensional curves and transverse inclinations.